Americans United - Ark Encountershttp://www.au.org/tags/ark-encounters
enZip Line Evangelism: Creation Museum Opens ‘Non-Religious’ Exhibits To Expand Audience http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/zip-line-evangelism-creation-museum-opens-non-religious-exhibits-to-expand
<a href="/about/people/ms-sarah-e-jones">Sarah E. Jones</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> According to the Dayton Daily News, Ham believes this new “family fun adventure” will appeal to a wide audience. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Falling visitor <a href="http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-26546-creation_museum_atte.html">rates</a> at the infamous Creation Museum in Kentucky have resulted in some ingenuity on the part of its founder, Ken Ham.<br /><br />In a bid to attract more visitors, Ham, who is also the president of Answers in Genesis and professes to be a scientist despite holding only a bachelor’s degree in applied science, has overseen the development of a new, allegedly non-religious exhibit. According to the <em>Dayton Daily News</em>, Ham <a href="http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/creationist-museum-aims-at-wider-audience/nZLpj/">believes</a> this new “family fun adventure” will appeal to a wide audience.<br /><br />“That’s what we wanted to see, because it will bring in a broader range of people in here and provide something for the community as well – they don’t have to go to the Creation Museum, they can just come for the zip lines,” Ham told the newspaper.<br /><br />Ham may want us to come for the zip lines, but we’re not so easily fooled. This isn’t the beginning of a new and more scientifically accurate phase for the Creation Museum. It’s marketing. It might be milder, but fundamentalist evangelism packaged as a family friendly adventure is still evangelism. The museum’s other new exhibits make Ham’s claims to inclusivity especially suspect. <br /><br />Lest we think he’s lost his touch for pseudoscience, behold Dr. Crawley’s Insectorium. Donated by a supporter, this new exhibit features hundreds of beetles, butterflies and other insects – and an animatronic professor who tells visitors that the insects are just too complex to have evolved.<br /><br />And consider the Ark Encounter. Stalled for now thanks to other new exhibits, it’s still in the works; Ham told the newspaper that he hopes to open it in 2016. The Ark Encounter will, as its name suggests, feature a replica ark based on biblical literalist interpretations of the Book of Genesis.<br /><br />If you follow us, you might remember the Ark Encounter. In 2011, Americans United vehemently <a href="http://www.kentucky.com/2010/12/02/1548034/creation-museum-to-get-wooden.html">opposed</a> Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear’s <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/21/ark-encounter-kentucky-budget-tax-breaks_n_1220806.html">plan</a> to give a $43 million tax break to the Ark Encounter. Beshear eventually approved the tax break. Two years later, the people of Kentucky have yet to reap the alleged benefits of this project – and I imagine that building it has been quite the task, given Ham’s <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/dinosaurs-were-on-noahs-ark-says-creationist-ken-ham-101701/">conviction</a> that two of every dinosaur on Earth fit into the boat in question.<br /><br />So the Creation Museum obviously hasn’t changed its focus. It’s as religiously motivated as ever, and its new zip lines were never intended to change that. As blogger Hemant Mehta observed, the museum’s new seeker-friendly exhibit exists “…for the same reason evangelical megachurches have amazing bands open their worship sessions – it has nothing to do with the service itself, but it might draw in a different crowd.”<br /><br />Ken Ham’s definition of inclusivity is as creative as his definition of science. He may say that his new non-religious exhibit is intended for the entire community, but as long as the rest of his museum is intended to convert visitors that gesture doesn’t mean much.<br /> </p><p>His entire career has centered on peddling suspect science as a conversion tactic. He’s <a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/wwtl">referred</a> to Darwinism as a “philosophy of death” and actively encourages churches to use attacks on evolution as an instrument of evangelism.<br /><br />Ham is entitled to evangelize however he wants, but he’s not entitled to tax breaks to help fund his fundamentalist roadside attraction. And if he’s concerned about dwindling numbers, maybe he should be honest enough to admit that what he’s pushing isn’t science, it’s typical biblical fundamentalism.</p><p>Maybe, just maybe, the reason for the museum’s drop in visitors isn’t poor marketing. Maybe the anti-intellectualism Ham peddles is finally losing its cultural sway. That’s my hope.</p><p>And if that’s the case, even fancy zip lines won’t be enough to save the Creation Museum from itself.<br /> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-government-subsidies-religious-institutions-not-including-schools">Other Government Subsidies of Religious Institutions</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ken-ham">Ken Ham</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/creation-museum">Creation Museum</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/answers-genesis">Answers in Genesis</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ark-encounters">Ark Encounters</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/kentucky">kentucky</a></span></div></div>Tue, 13 Aug 2013 16:19:53 +0000Ms. Sarah E. Jones8860 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/zip-line-evangelism-creation-museum-opens-non-religious-exhibits-to-expand#commentsKentucky Legislature Should Delete Budget Funding To Benefit ‘Ark Park,’ Says Americans Unitedhttp://www.au.org/media/press-releases/kentucky-legislature-should-delete-budget-funding-to-benefit-%E2%80%98ark-park%E2%80%99-says
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>The Kentucky legislature’s plan to spend $2 million on a road project benefitting a proposed “Ark Park” is constitutionally dubious and a waste of scarce taxpayer dollars, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State.</p><p>The budget currently under consideration in the legislature includes the special transportation funding even though state officials are relentlessly looking for places to trim spending and the Ark Park may not even be built. Plans for opening the Ark Encounter, a biblical theme park in Grant County, have been repeatedly delayed due to lack of donations.</p><p>Said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, “Legislators are desperately looking for ways to cut the budget, yet they are including $2 million to benefit the Ark Park. That’s an astonishing lapse in judgment. Taxpayers should never be forced to support a religious ministry, and it is particularly appalling to do so when essential public services are being cut.”</p><p>AU’s Lynn noted that the state constitution specifically bans use of taxpayer funds to support religion. Section 5 says taxpayers may not be forced to “contribute to the erection or maintenance” of any place of worship.</p><p>Lynn said some observers think the Ark Park may never open and the state funds spent on the Highway 36 road project may be a complete waste. He said it recalls the national controversy over the “bridge to nowhere,” a $400-million pork-barrel project in Alaska that Congress considered funding in 2005.</p><p>Said Lynn, “Legislators should not waste $2 million on a ‘road to nowhere.’ At a time when legislators have even voted down preschool funding for poor kids, this misuse of taxpayer dollars is utterly unacceptable.</p><p>“If the legislature leaves this money in the budget,” Lynn continued, “Gov. Steve Beshear should use the line-item veto to take it out. It would save scarce public resources and avoid constitutional problems. This appropriation of taxpayer money for religion would likely be struck down by the courts.”</p><p>The Ark Park, sponsored by Answers in Genesis, would purportedly feature a full-size replica of Noah’s Ark. A ground-breaking for the project, which is intended to promote a fundamentalist understanding of the Bible, has been repeatedly delayed, and media reports suggest the ministry has received less than $5 million of the $24.5 million sought to build the facility.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-government-subsidies-religious-institutions-not-including-schools">Other Government Subsidies of Religious Institutions</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ark-encounters">Ark Encounters</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ark-park">Ark Park</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/answers-genesis">Answers in Genesis</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/steve-beshear">Steve Beshear</a></span></div></div><h3 >$2 Million Allocation For ‘Road To Nowhere’ Violates Constitution And Common Sense, Says Church-State Watchdog&nbsp;Group</h3><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/our-work/grassroots/kentucky">Kentucky</a></span></div></div>Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:44:17 +0000Simon Brown6947 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/media/press-releases/kentucky-legislature-should-delete-budget-funding-to-benefit-%E2%80%98ark-park%E2%80%99-says#commentsArk Park Earmark: Kentucky Governor Floats Religion-Funding Schemehttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/ark-park-earmark-kentucky-governor-floats-religion-funding-scheme
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear thinks it’s a good idea for his state to be the home of Noah’s Ark – one that will <a href="http://barefootandprogressive.blogspot.com/2010/12/steve-beshear-humiliates-state-of.html">include dinosaurs!</a></p>
<p>Beshear announced yesterday his plan to provide tax incentives to the developers of a creationism theme park that will feature a replica of the well-known biblical boat.</p>
<p>The $150 million facility will be a collaboration between Ark Encounters, a private company in Springfield, Mo., and Answers in Genesis, a fundamentalist Christian organization that runs the Creation Museum that opened in Kentucky in 2007.</p>
<p>The park’s developers have searched the country for the best spot for their project. With Beshear’s plan to offer tax incentives that could surpass $37 million, it’s likely they’ve settled on the location where they will get the best deal -- 800 acres in Grant County, Ky.</p>
<p>In addition to the 500-foot-by-75-foot wooden ark, the park will <a href="http://www.governor.ky.gov/pressrelease.htm?PostingGUID={415A07EF-4E0F-488A-AC63-62B43F44385F}">include</a> live animals, a Walled City much like that found in ancient times, a children’s interactive play area, a replica of the Tower of Babel with exhibits, a 500-seat 5-D special-effects theater, an aviary and a first-century Middle Eastern village.</p>
<p>"I think it's fair to say we are all very positive, initially, about this application, and we don't really see any problems in getting it approved," Beshear said, claiming his support for the project is based on the supposed 900 jobs the park will create and has nothing to do with his religious beliefs.</p>
<p>Tourism laws allow developers to recover up to 25 percent of the cost of a project through a rebate on the sales tax paid by visitors on admission tickets, food, gift purchases and lodging costs. Beshear <a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20101201/NEWS01/312010087/Beshear+announces+creationism+theme+park+to+open+in+2014++with+$250+million+impact">believes</a> the project will attract 1.6 million visitors a year and have a $214 million economic impact in the first year.</p>
<p>With these potential benefits to the state, Beshear may not have any trouble getting the tax break package approved, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a mistake of biblical proportions.</p>
<p>Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn told the Associated Press why.</p>
<p>"It's perfectly fine for a private group to relaunch Noah's ark, but the governor shouldn't go along for the ride," he said. "The government should not be giving tax incentives for religious projects. Religion should be supported by voluntary donations, not the government."</p>
<p>And AU’s Lynn is not the only one raising an objection.</p>
<p>The Louisville <em>Courier-Journal</em> has <a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20101202/OPINION01/312020019">called on</a> Beshear to take a vacation – claiming that “extreme fatigue” is the only way he would think this project was a good idea.</p>
<p>“Even if technically legal (in that the law allowing the tax breaks doesn't discriminate against other religious or anti-religious views),” the newspaper said in an editorial published today, “a state role in a private facility that would be built by a group called Answers in Genesis and espouses a fundamentalist view resting on biblical inerrancy indirectly promotes a religious dogma. That should never be the role of government.”</p>
<p>Putting the constitutional issue aside, Beshear’s support of the park is still cause for concern. Beshear, as a government official, should be encouraging sound science education. Advocating that we teach children that the earth is only 6,000 years old and that dinosaurs and humans coexisted is hardly what science experts advocate.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, subsidies like the tax breaks Beshear suggests have been difficult to challenge in court, and judicial rulings turn on many factors. Still, Americans United’s legal experts will be watching the situation carefully.</p>
<p>Stay tuned.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ark-encounters">Ark Encounters</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/creation-museum">Creation Museum</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/creationism">creationism</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dinosaurs">dinosaurs</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/kentucky">kentucky</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/noahs-ark">Noah&#039;s Ark</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/steve-beshear">Steve Beshear</a></span></div></div>Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:35:05 +0000Sandhya Bathija2488 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/ark-park-earmark-kentucky-governor-floats-religion-funding-scheme#comments